You're reading: Tombinski: EU waiting for Rada to pass bills necessary for Association Agreement

The European Union is waiting for the Ukrainian parliament to pass the bills necessary for the signing of the Association Agreement at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November 2013, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Jan Tombinski has said.

At a Thursday press conference in Kyiv he said that the Ukrainian government is hard at work on the bills, but the Verkhovna Rada will need to pass them.

“I know how much work the government is doing, however the government is not the only player. The parliament has to pass these laws,” Tombinski said.

While speaking about the blocking of the parliament, the diplomat said that the Ukrainian parliamentarians should decide on their own how to act, and Ukrainian voters would assess their work.

“By their actions they are demonstrating their commitment to their promises, and voters will give their assessment at the next elections,” the ambassador said.

As for the political situation in Ukraine in general, Tombinski said the EU is waiting for specific actions of the Ukrainian government, and not just statements.

“I have a feeling that the elections have not finished in Ukraine, that we are still living in the election period,” he said.

According to the diplomat, today the fate of the Association Agreement depends on Ukraine and if Kyiv shows specific results in the near months the agreement will be signed in November.

Tombinski explained that before deciding to sign the document the European Commission should ask the European Parliament and the EU member states for a mandate, and this procedure will take some time, and that is why Kyiv has to demonstrate progress by May or June.